1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device monitor system that manages multiple devices connecting with a network by means of a monitor apparatus connecting with the respective devices via the network, as well as to a method of assigning a management identifier to each of the multiple devices in the device monitor system.
2. Related Art
In device monitor systems becoming popular in various fields, devices and a monitor server for monitoring the devices are connected via a network. For example, in one proposed configuration of a printing device monitor system, each printing device has a network board, which is connected to a monitor server via local area networks (LANs) and the Internet. The network board acquires specified pieces of information for monitoring (monitor information), for example, a remaining quantity of toner, error information like a paper jam, and a total number of prints, from a main body of the printing device and sends the acquired monitor information to the monitor server via the network. The monitor server accumulates the monitor information received from the network board and monitors the printing device based on the accumulated monitor information. The printing device monitor system of this configuration is disclosed, for example, in JP-A-2006-99609.
The device monitor system provides the user with various services based on the monitor of the printing device. The services include information service of, for example, promptly notifying the user of the occurrence of an error or a trouble in the printing device based on the monitor information sent to and stored in the monitor server, maintenance service of, for example, sending a new toner in response to a decrease in remaining quantity of toner below a predetermined level, and charging service of, for example, charging for printing based on the number of prints.
In the printing device monitor system, the monitor server needs to identify each printing device as a monitor object. One method adopted for such identification generates an identifier of logically identifying each printing device (hereinafter referred to as installation ID), which is correlated to an identifier of physically identifying the printing device, for example, a MAC address, and assigns the generated installation ID to the printing device as the monitor object. The installation ID represents identification information in the unit of a monitor service contract, for example, a maintenance service contract or a charging service contract, provided by the printing device monitor system via the network. One installation ID is assigned to only one printing device. Namely the installation ID is identification information used for the monitor service of each printing device. In the case of replacement of a failed or old printing device with a new printing device, the installation ID for the replaced printing device is not changed but is continuously assigned to the new printing device. Continuous assignment of the fixed installation ID to the new printing device replacing the failed or old printing device reduces the management load of the monitor server.
For assignment of the installation ID to the printing device, the user is required to receive the installation ID generated by the monitor server by facsimile or another communication medium and enter the installation ID in a display of the printing device. In the event of the user's wrong entry of the installation ID, the monitor server fails to identify the printing device and is unable to adequately manage the printing device. This problem is not characteristic of the printing device monitor system but is commonly found in any device monitor systems.